“’Ere. They’re the ones with the knives. I’m unarmed,” our young robber said.

“Tell it to the magistrate,” the bobby said.

“Do you need us to come with you as witnesses?” I asked.

“If you don’t mind sending your maid with me to speak to the magistrate, we’ll get her home after,” the bobby said.

“Of course. Emma?” I held out my hand, and she gave me the hatbox.

“What’s in there?” the bobby asked.

“A very stylish new hat belonging to Lady Phyllida Monthalf,” Emma replied, while I felt the weight of Emma’s wicked blade slide across the bottom of the box.

“’Ey, not ’er. She’s got a nasty-lookin’ knife.”

“No, I don’t,” Emma said, giving the thief a big smile. “You can search me for one if you want. You won’t find a thing. He’s lying.”

Our young robber knew we’d pulled some sort of switch and shook his head in frustration. The bobby was trying to be gallant to Emma, asking her name and saying he hoped she hadn’t been hurt as they walked off.

I turned to Phyllida. “We need to find a carriage to take us home after our excitement.”

“Thank you, Georgina, for rescuing my new hat.” She clutched the box to her.

“And I’m certain it will look lovely on you.” Baron von Steubfeld stepped out of the small crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion. “I was just dining in the Grosvenor Club across the street. My carriage will be here in a moment. Perhaps I can give you ladies a ride home?” He bowed.

“That is most kind of you, Baron.” Phyllida curtsied.

I followed with my own curtsy. “That would be lovely.”

His carriage, with the German embassy seal on the side, pulled up nearby and the three of us, and all our packages, fit into the interior. Like everything else in London, the black leather seats were hot enough to iron our skirts and scald our skin.

“I’m so glad you’re traveling with us to Gloucestershire,” I said, sounding lame to my ears. “I’ve never been to Germany, and I hope you’ll tell me more about it.”

“That would be my pleasure. We have much to delight the tourist. Magnificent scenery. Medieval castles and cathedrals. Museums. Folk festivals. You must come to Germany sometime. Both of you.”

“But it’s not so modern a country as Britain, is it?”

“Never. It is more modern. Our military is the greatest in Europe. Our industry surpasses Britain’s. But those are not the things that would interest two ladies.” He smiled at me through that ferocious mustache, and I returned the smile.

“Tell me,” he continued, “what caused the scene in the street just now?”

“A robber knocked over our maid and stole my hatbox,” Phyllida told him.

“You are unhurt?”

“Yes, quite unhurt.”

“That is fortunate. And he stole nothing else?”

“No.”

“How odd.” The baron fell silent.

It was an odd thing to steal, but it was a good size for holding all the plans to Gattenger’s new ship. If the baron truly thought it was odd, maybe he wasn’t in on the theft. Who else had spies in London?

The French and the Russians, surely. Perhaps the Austrians. Could I get him to talk about the other diplomats? “Do you have any diplomatic events in the near future? I imagine full dress uniforms with loads of medals would be uncomfortable in hot weather.”

“They are, but there are no events scheduled until the queen returns from Osborne House.”

“Do you see other diplomats in London outside of formal events?”

“Of course. I was just dining with the first secretary of the Austrian embassy while you had your scuffle with a thief.” He gave me a tight-lipped smile that seemed to dare me to ask anything else.

Once we arrived at the town house, I took a cool bath both to wake me up and to remove the dust and sweat that clung to my skin. Then, while Phyllida bathed, I helped Emma pack for our trip the next morning.

“The magistrate didn’t question me closely and let me go with his thanks. He paid no attention to our robber’s claim that I had a knife.” She gave me her angelic smile, all blond innocence and big blue eyes.

If I’d been the magistrate, I’d have believed her, too. Emma’s looks let her get away with almost anything, particularly when she was trying to get around a male. Eight or eighty, it didn’t matter. They all crumbled at her feet.

“Do you think the theft had anything to do with the anonymous note?” Emma asked.

“If it did, it was very poorly done.” I looked at Emma and shrugged. “I think our correspondent is brighter than to use that foolish young man.”

“I think you’re right,” Emma said while she folded one of my dresses. Then I saw her nibble on her bottom lip. “I’ve never been outside of London.”

“It’s all right, Emma. I seldom have, either. But the trains go out there, and we’ll have Blackford there. And Sumner part of the time. It’s not like you have to sleep in the fields and forests at night. You’ll be safely inside.”

She gave me a dry look. “Inside may not be any safer. But I’ll do whatever needs to be done to find out who killed Clara Gattenger, and so will you.”

“I was only trying to make you feel better.” I folded a petticoat with more vigor than necessary.

“I know. And I’ll be glad when we go home, too.”

I nodded. We understood each other.

There was a knock on the door and then we heard male voices. “Oh, blast. It’s five o’clock. Sir Henry is here to extract his first pound of flesh.”

Emma was immediately on alert.

I patted her arm. “I’ll explain when I come back upstairs.”

A moment later, a maid brought up a calling card on a tray. Sir Henry.

“Thank you. Have him wait in the parlor. Tell him I’ll be right there.”

The maid curtsied and went downstairs.

“Emma, keep Phyllida up here. I’m going to have to lie, and it’s imperative that Phyllida is ignorant of the lies I tell him.”

“You have a plan?”

I nodded.

“Good luck.”

She tidied my hair and then I walked down to the parlor. I shut the door to the hall and faced Sir Henry, who’d risen when I walked in.

“This is quite a nice house. Rented with Lady Phyllida’s money, I suppose?” Disdain dripped from his voice.

“I paid my share. Edgar didn’t leave me completely without resources.”

“If I were to contact the authorities in Singapore, what would I learn?” He moved forward to stand improperly close to me. The gleam in his eye told me he was gloating.

“That my husband’s death saved him from a great deal of embarrassment.”

“Financial problems?”

I nodded.

“What would I learn about you?” He ran the back of his hand along my cheek.

I turned my face aside. “That I left quickly for England with funds that Edgar might have had to explain.”

“And you should still be wearing mourning?” he asked, apparently buying the impression I gave that I’d escaped Singapore and arrived in England without bothering about full mourning.

“I spoke to Ken Gattenger,” I answered. I wasn’t going to give him anything specific about my life in Singapore. I had nothing specific to give.

“What did he say?” he asked, immediately focused on his own interests.

“The ship will float. There’s nothing wrong with the calculations.”

Sir Henry grabbed my upper arm in the same place as the previous night and pulled me against him. “You’d better not be lying.”

“I’m not. Now let go of me.” I didn’t add, You make me feel soiled.

He had a cruel smile on his lips as he studied my eyes. “The blueprints are correct as they’re written?”

“Yes. Let go of me,” I hissed out from between my teeth.

He let me go but he blocked my path to the door. “I’d hoped to get you to invest in my shipyard, but you can’t do that without money. Does Lady Phyllida know you’re broke?”

I decided to let him think he had a bigger hold over me than he did. “I’m not broke.”

“Close enough.”

I shrugged.